Device for raising and for buoying up ships



June 24, 1930. J. C. HILLS 1,767,672

DEVICE FOR RAISING AND FOR BUOYING UP SHIPS Filed April 5, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Ma r/(w 636710 7 Ways.

Julie 24, 1930. I J. c. Hl LLS 1,767,672

DEVICE FOR RAISING AND'FOR BUOYING UP SHIPS Filed April 3, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 di'to 1: 11 3s Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES FATEOFFHIE JOHN C. HILLS, 0F MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS:

Application filed April 3,

This invention relates to'improvements in devices for raising and forbuoying up ships. More particularly it relates to a caisson which isprimarily adapted for salvaging sunken ships, but which is capable ofserving in the nature of a floating dry-dock should it be de sired toover-haul or repair a salvaged ship or any ship without the necessity ofplacing it in the usual dry-dock.

The salvaging of sunken ships is diflicult and hazardous. The weightymaterials and equipment used in present day ship construc tion, and thegigantic dimensions, make the raising of an ocean liner an undertakingof great magnitude, such that known methods have seldom, if ever,resulted in raising one of the larger of such; and they frequently failin the case of the smaller ships, especially when lying at a greatdepth. The huge floating derricks and the chains or cables employed forthis purpose fail under the strain; assuming that divers prove able tomaster the preliminary difficulties of getting under the hull in orderto put chains around theship.

r The limited depth to which divers may safely go and the limited timethey can remain at sea bottom makes it impracticable to even attempt theraising in some cases, and in others makes the attempt extremelyhazardous. And even in shallower waters the necessary size and stiffnessof the lifting chains and cables, and the conditions encountered at asea bottom, make their task very laborious. Attempts to raise sunkenships by the use of buoyancy elements may fail because of inability toget the buoyancy elements strongly attached to the sunken ship.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which canbe lowered in a non-buoyant state andcaused to grip the ship, and thenbe rendered buoyant so that it raises the ship. An important detailresides in the means whereby the hull of the ship is gripped as by tongswhich engage under it from both r sides at various points along itslength.

Other important features are to operate this device so as to effect thegrip by power of the salvage vessels at the surface; to eliminate thenecessity for divers to work chains around the ship or even to go downto it; to reduce 1926. Serial No. 99,471.

the corps of divers requisite by present methods to a very small number,or even to a single diver for doing the necessary under-water work; toeliminate the supporting chains and cables heretofore used; to effectthe raising by holding the hull in a cradle; and to apply any desireddegree of buoyancy by adding buoyant units easily. Another object is toprovide so that a ship may be raised com pletely out of the water, tothe end that under water repairs may be made without going to port orinto ordinary dry-dock.

These objects are attained with apparatus embodying in substance a hugepair of tongs, capable of closing together so as to constitute a cradleabout a hull lying on the bottom of the sea, each jaw being equip edwith chambers which can hold water or sinking and can receive air fromthe surface for elevating the ship. The said apparatus comprises twopivotally connected frame units, the lower ends of which constitute jawswhich are adapted to be spread apart for descending to embrace the shipshull and then to be moved toward each other and to be latched at anydegree of closure. Integral with each jaw is a large air tight buoyancyelement with flexible air filling tubes reaching to the surface torender the device buoyant, and preferably they are also equipped withflexible water tubes or other device to admit water for displacing airin the tanks to assist in making the device non-buoyant. Having beenfloated in a buoyant state to a desired place, the device may be theresubmerged with the jaws latched open and as it sinks be guided fromabove so that it settles astride the sunken ship. The jaws may thenbeclosed together to engage under the hull of the ship, and be latched intheir closed position, after which the device is made buoyant, whereuponit rises and carries the ship up with it. Should a ship be sunk in mudto such an extent that the jaws cannot take hold of its hull, or if theship is lyin upon its side, cables may be attached from t e upper bodyof the ship to the respective frame sections of the device while itrests on sea bottom, spread openabove and straddling the ship. T en, byc a nsbu ya cy, hes p y be 9. rlk

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lifted, with the cables rather than the aws carrying the load. Untilbuoyancy 1s established the jaws may act as legs to hold up the pointsfrom which the cables are suspended; and the jaws may be called into scryice to engage underneath as scenes the ship has been righted or hasgotten high enough so that the bottom does not prevent t rem; or theship, slung in this tem orary way may be moved to a fresh place near byon the bot-- tom and then be engaged under its Jody by the jaws in th rgular way. 1

When a floating dry-dock 1 desired, the buoyancy elements may bearranged so that, as the apparatus is closed, they assume a positionrather below the lifting aws. n every case the latter are designed of asize capable of supporting the weight to held. Attachment of auxiliaryelements easily pro vides a satisfactory way for effecting this change,and for adding to buoyancy when needed for any purpose. I

The invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications, oneonly of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawi s. It is intendedthat the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appendedclaims, whatever features of patentable novmty exist in the inventiondisclosed.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a front elevation of apparatus embodying the invention, itbeing in its buoyant state with the jaws latched in a closed position;

Figure 2 is alike view illustrating tl jaws latched open, it being inits non-buoyant state, submerged, and an auxiliary buoyancy unit beingshown attached;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus;

Figure a is an elevation in section through one of the buoyancy tanks;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the frame illustrating theratchet latch; and

Figure 6is a diagrammatic front elevation showing all of the controlcables extent ing to a tug directly above from which the variousoperations may be performed.

Referring to the drawings, two similarly constructed air tightcontainers, caissons or tanks are seen at 10 and 12 r spectively, one ofwhich is to be on each side f the sunke hull, each carrying twouprig...t huge levers 1e, 16, which may preferably be made of structuralsteel and which are illustrated as being connectedtogether through the10 or 12 and by ties 18, and which shaped in their lower parts so as tothe sides and bottom of a ships hull, each con )1 ising one section of abuoyant pair of to The size and buoyant force of the contanier and thedimensions and number of lever structures comprising the section at eachside of the device may vary according to the lifting ca pacity desired,and they may be constructed and tied or braced together in any suitableway whereby the necessary strength and clearances may be gained. Thestructural steel bridgework type of construction has the merit that amaximum of strength is provided with a minimum of weight.

In Figures 1 and 2 the sections constituting the tongs are seenmaintained spaced apart by horizontal fulcrum beams 20, there being oneof these fulcrum beams at each pair of upright lever units. The pointsof connection to the respective beams constitute pivots about which thebuoyant lever sections may turn, and the spaces thus provided betweensuccessive uprights direction lengthwise of the hull, and betweensections for engaging opposite sides of the hull may be made ample toreceive the upper works of the ship which is to be raised. portion ofeach lever is so shaped as approximately to fit the hull of a ship so asto engage under it and let the ship rest in it to be lifted,

these lower extremities constituting opposed hull engaging and liftingaws 22, 24, adapt ed to be closed or opened by the turning; of thelovers 14, 16 on their respective pivots at the ends of the fulcrumbeams 20.

The containers or tanks 10, 12, constitute the buoyancy elements of thedevice. They may be constructed of sheet metal, or any sufficientlystrong air and water proof material. They are intimately associatedstructurally with the jaws, so that their buoyancy is applied directlyto the jaws, and through them directly to the hull of the ship, thusdispensing with lifting cables, chains, etc, and the problems of passingthem under the hull, making them fast, and making them of sufiicientstrength. These tanks may be made cylindrical, if preferred, or in anyother shape, but are illustrated as being in a special shape thatoccupies all conveniently available space. If preferred these may bemade in two parts, a metal casing for strength and an interior air tightflexible lining supported by the casing on the principle of the casingand inner tube of automobile tires. It is an important feature of theinvention to provide so that the tanks may be rendered buoyant ornon-buoyant at will. This is illustrated as accomplished by providingeach with one or more flexible water tubes 26 and one or more flexibleair tubes 28. The water tubes are preferably arranged so as tocommimicate with the bottom portion of the tanks while it is desirablethat the air tubes enter the upper portion of the tanks. As illustratedboth water and air tubes lead through the top of the tank. They musthave sufficient external length to permit of attachment to pumps carriedby a vessel at the surface when the jaws are on sea bottom. Air. ispumped in, to force water out, when it is desired to make the devicebuoyant; and water is pumped in to force the air out when Th e lowerdevice non-buoyant. arrangement of the interior of one tank is shown,the other being identical. The perforated plates 10 are set in angularrelation to one another to prevent any great swishing of water when thetanks are but partially filled. While water tubes are shown for fillingthe tanks with water when a non-buoyant state is desired, the weight ofthe device alone may be depended upon to cause its sinking when the airis pumped out, in which case the water tubes may be dispensed with. Ifpreferred, check valves (not shown) may be installed, opening outwardbut not inward, in which case water can be forced out by pumping air in;or, if there be an outer stiff and an inner flexible skin the sameeffect can be gained by letting the flexible interior skin hold aironly, and letting it collapse when it is to become non-buoyant.

In order that the jaws may be maintained closed or open, gravity lockinglatches 30 are provided. These latches are pivoted to one section andextend across to the other, each having notches either of which canengage a lug on the latter section. A cable 32 is attached to each latchand extends to any convenient point of control above on the structure,or at the surface of the sea if the latches are submerged. Asillustrated the locking latches 30 are arranged below the pivot pointsof the frame sections. Above the pivot points are additional latches 34in the nature of ratchets, each pivoted on one section, and extending tothe other section. These each are adapted to ride freely over their lugsto permit closing of the jaws, but to engage those lugs to lock the jawsin any of successive intermediate positions to prevent their opening. A.cable 36 leads up from each, for control to unlatch them.

The opening and closing operations of the jaws may be controlled bycables. For this purpose the upper end of each pivoted frame section maybe provided with a beam 38 ex tending laterally across the hull, towhose end is attached a jaw-closing cable 40, 42; or these cables may beattached. directly to the eyes 38 on the top of each frame. Jawopeningcables 44 and 46 are attached to each pivoted section at a point belowits pivot. The closing and opening cables 40 and 44 for one of the jawsmay extend to one point of control which may be presumed to be a tug 43located at one side, and the cables 42, 46 may extend to another pointon the other side, likewise presumed to be a tug 45. The latch cableswill also extend to one .or the other of the tugs. However, asillustrated diagrammatically in Figure 6 all controls may be at a singlefloat 47 stationed above the submerged device.

In operation, the buoyancy tanks 10 and 12 having been filled with airthe device as a lifting of the locking latches 30 the whole becomesbuoyant and may be towed to position over: the sunken hull, the jawsbeing locked either closed or open. Upon the buoyancy of the tankscoupled with weight at the middle spreads the jaws to open position, andthere they can be held by lowering the locking latches 30. The ratchetlatches 84, which have meanwhile been held up and inoperative, may thenbe released. :Submerging of the device is accomplished by pumping waterinto the tanks, thus forcing the air out; and by causing the device tosink slowly, in a nearly buoyant state, guided from above underdirections furnished by a diver stationed at a convenient point, so thatthe jaws come to rest on sea bottom, one on each side of the sunkenhull. As sunken ships usually are found substantially upright, or onlyslightly tilted, possibly owing to entrapped air, the spread of jawsneeded in a device embodying the invention in most cases does not muchexceed the beam of the vessel that is to be raised. lVhen the positionhas been gained the locking latches 30 are raised and the jaws can thenbe closed so as to grip the sunken hull by pulling on the jaw closingcables 40, 42. Whatever force is needed can be applied for this purposethrough these cables by tugs at the surface pulling in oppositedirections. Or the jaws can be closed by :(llIGCt vertical pull on theends of the beams 38 extending laterally from the tops of the jawframes, which ends are depressed when the jaws are open. Or, they can beclosed by a single tug or windlasspulling on tackle that might bearranged (not shown) between the outboard ends ofeach pair of saidbeams. In order to prevent the jaws from digging into the sea bottom asthey come together, suitable skids, or preferably, and as illustrated,large wheels or rollers 48 may be provided. The ratchet latches hold thesections against spreading while permitting them to come together.' Thecables'44, 46 are provided to permit reopening in case the first attemptdoes not gain a proper grip upon the ship, or in case a differentadjustment iswanted. In such event the ratchet latches must be liftedrom above to permit spreading of the sec- 1 tions. The jaws can also beopened by pumping air into the side tanks'while the latches are alldisengaged. 1

The jaws having been closed upon the hull of the ship and latched by theratchet latches 34, the hull is enclosed as in a cradle. It will beunderstood that the device may be designed in such proportions anddimensions and with such architecture and such clearances as will adaptit either to any particular task, or for general uses, the constructionshown being merely illustrative of one form for thus engaging a shipsbody. To raise the hull the pumps force air into the tanks 10, 12 andthus force the water out so that the tanks become buoyantand the devicerises with the ship firmly in its grasp. Two or more of these devicesmay be employed on a long ship. Extra'buoyancy may be provided byattachment of auxiliary tanks, one being illustrated at 50 in Figure 2,having flexible tubes for air and water. The ship is supportedunderneath in a very direct manner, and may be floated or towed towherever it maybe desired to take it. By attaching the auxiliary tanksso that they will come substantially beneath the aws when closed thedevice may be made to raise a ship clear of the water.

In unusual cases, as where the ship is embedded in mud to an extentpreventing the lifting jaws from gripping underneath its hull, or whenthe ship lies on its side, cables may be attached to its upper parts andthen by tackle, attached either at the surface of the water or to anupper part of the jaw structure when sunk to the bottom, as if attachedto holes 52, the ship can be righted, or even raised a little andfloated to a nearby location where it can rest on the bottom of the seain better position to be gripped. During this operation the framesections may be latched apart and as soon as advisable may be releasedand the jaws closed upon the ship, in order to raise it as abovedescribed. Moreover, in a suitable case, the ship may be raised to thesurface by cables alone, the ship being gripped by the device asdescribed, and the latter being operated and lifted by cables;

or cables and floats at the surface may be used to supplement thelifting power of the submersible buoyant elements provided.

I claim as my invention:

1. A caisson for raising ships comprising a pair of upright levers; jawsthereon for engaging a hull; a fulcrum beam pivotally connecting thelevers and spacing them apart,

to operate on opposite sides of the hull;

beams extending laterally from the levers, across the hull above thefulcrum beam and adapted to transmit force applied to said lateral beamsfor effecting closing of the jaws and means attached to said jawsadapted to render them buoyant or not at will.

2. A caisson for raising ships comprising a pair of upright leversfulcrumed together, with jaws thereon for engaging a hull on oppositesides of the hull; beams extending laterally from the levers, across thehull above the fulcrum and adapted to transmit force applied to saidlateral beams for effecting closing of the jaws; and means attached tosaid jaws adapted to render them buoyant or not at will.

3. A caisson for raising ships comprising submersiblejaws, leverscarrying the jaws; a fulcrum beam spacing and pivotally connecting thelevers, whereby they may turn to close said jaws upon a sunken hull;cables attached to the levers for moving the jaws to hull-engagingpositions, a locking latch for holding the jaws in particular position,and a control cable therefor; a ratchet latch for opposing the openingof the jaws from successive intermediate positions, and a control cabletherefor; and containers attached to said jaws, and air and watercontrol connections therefore whereby to render the caisson buoyant ornot.

4-. A caisson for raising ships comprising submersible jaws; spacedlevers carrying the jaws; a fulcrum beam pivotally connecting the leverswhereby they may turn to close said jaws upon a sunken hull; meansattached to the jaws or not at will; the said levers having places forconnection of ties from their upper parts to the sunken ship; whereby anembedded ship may be initially lifted to a position where the said jawscan engage underneath it.

5. A device for raising ships comprising levers fulcrumed together jawscarried thereby adapted to engage beneath a sunken hull; means extendingbelow said jaws, adapted to rest on sea bottom and support the jawsthereabove; and means connected to said levers above the fulcrum formoving the jaws to hull engaging position.

6. A device for raising ships comprising levers fulcrumed together jawscarried thereby adapted to embrace a sunken hull; means extending belowsaid jaws adapted to restand to move-on sea bottom for supportingthejaws'above the sea bottom.

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this thirty-first day of March, 1926;

' JOHN C. HILLS.

adapted to render them buoyant-

